Quest For Earth

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  Chapter 18

  Hand in hand, they crept along a narrow alleyway where the shadows lay thick and deep. Hedged in on both sides by tall, brick buildings, a damp stench of decay pervaded the cramped space and Sherise’s stomach rolled over in revolt. She pinched her nose and breathed through her mouth.

  ‘Here. This is the building.’ Maaka stopped and stared at the structure before them.

  ‘Are you certain?’

  Maaka gave a soft snort. He pushed her gently out of the way, then walked about examining the ground until he picked up a large rock. A smash and the bolt securing the door fell to the ground.

  Sherise clapped her hands over her ears and looked in all directions. ‘Someone will hear.’

  ‘Nay, I believe we are being given a lot of rope.’ He tossed the rock to the ground.

  What was he talking about? She opened her mouth to deliver a scathing response but Maaka took her hand and pulled her through the doorway after him. ‘Information will be stored on the floors below.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘This has always been the case with such buildings. Above will be rooms where personnel meet and perform tasks. Below will be the archives you seek. Come.’

  Silenced, Sherise followed his lead as he stalked down a corridor and pointed towards a stairwell leading both up and down. The building was well lit inside and, thankfully, she had not noticed any vid-cams. But it was possible they were hidden within the walls or behind the casings shielding the light sources.

  And suddenly she understood the meaning behind his words. If she was anxious to learn more about these people, then the odds were they were just as keen to learn more about her. So they would let her explore unhindered, until …?

  Well, I guess, until I undercover any dirty secrets.

  They climbed down two flights of stairs and at the bottom faced another doorway. It opened in obedience to Maaka’s touch with a grating of rusty hinges to reveal a room of vast proportions. The lighting here was dim and the banks of head-high narrow containers cast deep shadows over the floor. Sherise shivered as the air chilled her skin.

  Where to begin?

  She looked at the row of tables that fronted the doorway like a miniature barrier protecting what lay behind.

  ‘Ah hah.’ Maaka rubbed his hands together and walked forward. He vaulted over a table.

  Sherise hastened after him and saw him swipe his hand over the surface of a panel. A paper-thin data screen slid up from within the table. Maaka crouched down and began to work the imbedded panel.

  She watched at the confident way Maaka accessed the databank. He glanced up to meet her astonished stare. ‘How is it you know how to manipulate this technology?’ she asked.

  ‘A simple matter and one that is easily explained.’ He smiled, a tender glow in his eyes, and much to her irritation, a little more of her resistance melted. Maaka swept a hand in the air. ‘We are not strangers to the way of life that exists within the Fortress. When we first came into existence, our people also lived here.’

  Sherise sat on the edge of the table, her gaze fixed on his face. Whatever he was about to say, she sensed it could be the key to understanding why he was so resolved on waging war.

  ‘I did not tell you everything when I spoke of this before. We were bred to be soldiers. The Purideans as scholars and workers. The Freebers as healers.’

  Her mind targeted one word. ‘Bred?’

  ‘All peoples of the Fortress have been bred for specific purposes; that is the way.’ He shrugged as if the notion of genetic modelling was of no import. But to Sherise, being slapped on the face by a draptile’s tail would have come as less of a shock. If all the races had been bred, who, by Cercis’s cloak, had the knowledge and technology to engineer such a feat?

  She remembered her father and uncle and the terrible results of what happened when breeding research fell into the hands of fanatics. How horrible that such practices appeared to be accepted here. She clenched her hands together in her lap and swallowed hard on rising bile.

  ‘The Lycaneans were a model army. We lived in harmony within the Fortress and protected it from the dangers of the Outworld. But there came a time when the Purideans became uneasy as we grew in strength and power. We questioned the laws which bound the city. Our chiefs were troubled by whispers of strange rituals held in secret rooms in the city and how the Corporation appeared to obey the Teacher’s every decree. Our Elders believe we were banished as we were considered a threat. Since then we have fought every day to survive.’

  ‘I have met the members of the Board, but don’t understand the dynamics of the Corporation. What do they do exactly?’

  ‘They occupy many roles and are answerable to the Board. They run the city. They are engaged in manufacturing goods and food, oversee the running of the hospitals, the utilities, the militia who are responsible for keeping the peace, and they organise the dispensation of the resources to the people.’ He turned his attention back to the panel and tapped a code sequence. The colour of the screen went to blue with a rectangular white bar blinking at the top. ‘From the moment we draw breath, each Lycanean is taught fighting strategies, trained constantly in combat and endurance. Over the years, samples of Puridean technology have been smuggled out of the Fortress. Although we have no energy source to power any of it, our Elders remember sufficient of their old lives to train us in the basics. We are also schooled in the various technologies and sciences of which we have long been denied. This is done with the hope that one day the Lycaneans will again live amongst the Purideans.’

  ‘In peace?’

  ‘Yes, but it will be on our terms. The Corporation is to be dismantled, the Board overthrown and the Teacher terminated.’

  Sherise clutched her throat at his implacable expression. ‘You’ve mentioned him before, but why kill him? Kade tells me he is a holy man.’

  His teeth flashed white and the animalistic glare sizzling from his eyes caused a frisson of fear to chill her blood. ‘The Purideans are fools, afraid to believe anything but what they have been taught. No, the Teacher must die.’

  ‘You could consider the option of suing for trade—your services as fighters for resources.’

  ‘This is not a matter open to discussion.’

  Her gaze clashed with his, and she watched his lips thin at the stubborn tilt to her chin.

  ‘Do you want this data or not?’ he snarled.

  ‘I do not consider the matter closed. We will speak of this another time,’ said Sherise, ignoring his responding growl. ‘Technology and energy sources, they are the most urgent items on my list.’

  An hour later, he had copied various data and compiled a reasonably sized report. Sherise pulled up a chair next to him and began to read from the screen. ‘A lot of information here about solar power, including the dome which is made from an array of energy-catching panels. But there is nothing to indicate where the knowledge came from. The history of the city only extends as far back as when it was built. But who built it and how? Where did they get the expertise and the tools?’

  ‘Is it important?’

  ‘It makes me uneasy and I don’t know why. There is something here …’ Sherise looked around the room then said, ‘… something going on under the surface.’

  His nostrils flared. ‘Good. You have finally realised these people can’t be trusted.’

  ‘I didn’t say that,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t twist my words to suit your purpose, Maaka.’

  ‘You are disappointed.’

  ‘Solar energy won’t help us fix our power problems,’ she admitted.

  ‘Then you will have to stay here. With me.’

  ‘I can’t Maaka. I made a promise to return these people to their families and now we are trapped in another time. We must repair the ship and locate the correct gateway map before it’s too late.’ At his lifted eyebrow, she added, ‘At the most, we have seven weeks to repair our ship or all hope will be lost.’

  ‘There is more to this t
han you giving your word.’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I must save these people, give them back the lives stolen from them. There were others …’ She averted her gaze.

  Maaka lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. ‘My sweet Sherise.’

  Something Maaka had said, or perhaps something she’d read, niggled at her subconscious. She recalled the lack of recorded history then opened her personal compu, strapped around her lower arm, and flashed the Commander. A green light indicated he waited for her to speak.

  ‘Dyrke, any update on the repairs?’

  The Commander’s cool voice responded, ‘No change.’

  ‘Dispatch a team to search for pieces of wreckage that may be caught up in the damaged areas of the ship. If any is found, have it analysed immediately. Sherise, out.’ She pushed her sleeve down. At Maaka’s light touch on her hand, she looked up and read concern in his eyes.

  If we’d never collided with that debris, I would never have met him.

  The knowledge settled hard and heavy in the well of her essence. She shivered, her skin burning where his fingers stroked over her cold knuckles.

  ‘What is it you suspect?’

  She smiled depreciatingly. ‘What happened to us in the Vortex could have happened to another ship. If other races capable of space travel ended up here, that could explain how your history appears to have begun with the building of the dome. It would fit with there being technology available then that doesn’t appear to be here today.’

  ‘That makes sense. There is more than one fortress and additional data may be stored there.’ He pushed to his feet and swept his arm in a wide semicircle. ‘Across the seas in other lands there are cities such as this, each with its own ruling corporation. Your task is far from complete.’

  ‘We received no communication from these other cities. How can you be so certain such places exist?’ She chewed on the inside of her lip. If such was the case, what of heat signatures? The Quinnie’s sensors had not indicated the existence of life elsewhere on this planet. Or was their ship more damaged than they realised? Could there be something on this planet capable of blocking their sensors? Like how their shuttles’ signals had been jammed when on the surface?

  Technology from their own time, brought by others who had been stranded before them. Who were they? Were any still alive? If we could make contact with them, the ship could be repaired.

  No sooner had these thoughts streaked through her mind than they vanished as Maaka nudged her under her chin. She jerked aside. Her braid snapped down her back like the flick of a rope.

  ‘Do not doubt me, they are there.’ He grinned. ‘Delegate the fixing of your ship to another. Soon you will be far too busy with my sons to concern yourself with such matters.’

  ‘You …’ Sherise smacked his hand away then slid off the table. Her mouth clamped tight to hide the smile tugging at her lips, as she stomped towards the exit.

  ‘Now you are the one delaying us,’ she said, the bones in her jaw aching from all the teeth grinding she had done these past few hours.

  She heard the light thump of his feet as he jumped over the table and landed on the floor. A few sectons later, the warmth from his body heated her back.

  ‘I will escort you to your quarters.’ Maaka reached around her and opened the door, waving her through.

  Together they climbed the stairs.

  ‘You must leave the city immediately, before you are found.’

  ‘It is too dangerous to travel at night,’ he said smoothly.

  ‘Are you sharing Kondo’s quarters?’ She turned her head to look at him but he leaned over the railing and examined the stairwell below. When he met her eyes, the guileless expression on his face made her scowl. Now what was he planning?

  Maaka spread his hands wide. Somehow he managed to look defenceless. ‘Alas, I have no place for my weary body to rest.’

  Her breathing hitched and she tensed. Dare I? ‘Perhaps if you are quiet and depart before the day breaks, I may be able to offer you shelter.’

  ‘Such kindness overwhelms me,’ he drawled.

  Sherise ran up the remaining steps. How, by the stars of Darkos, was she going to sneak him into the building? They slunk through the dark streets with the furtiveness of a were-dog. As they neared Kade’s house, she kicked herself for falling for his scam and at how her blood pumped madly through her veins. In a few minutes he would be with her. In her room. Alone.

  She knew it had been his intention all along to manipulate her into offering him sanctuary. She only hoped she knew the reason why.

  ***

  Her room in the women’s quarters seemed smaller, more intimate, with Maaka’s unsettling presence. Sherise retreated to the cramped bathroom where she scooped up a wash cloth. She leaned against the door, eyes squeezed shut, heart thudding and anticipation tingling in her lower belly.

  He was here.

  In her room.

  Did he intend to share the narrow bunk with her? Perhaps he would be content to sleep on the floor. So far he had rejected her unspoken invitation to lay with her. Always pushing her aside, promising a ‘soon’ in her ears but never delivering the satisfaction her body craved. For all his talk of sons and mates, he had done nought but arouse her to a fever pitch until she barely knew what was up or down.

  She opened her eyes and hurried to the basin. The liberal application of cold water to her face and neck did little to abate the heat blooming beneath her skin. She used the wash cloth with quick efficiency. About to leave, she checked her image in the mirror. The sight of her flushed face and a hectic sparkle in her eyes caused her to groan and turn from her reflection.

  Why would tonight be any different?

  A short prayer mantra eased some of her turbulence. She blew out a thankful breath and hurried back to her room. Six hours rest, then it would be time to face a new day. The tour could well reveal the answers to their questions; she made a mental note to discuss her ideas about who was jamming their signals with Dyrke. She would order a scan for other fortresses and get their nav team working on pin-pointing the source of the jamming device. As soon as they located it, she’d make contact. Within a matter of days, they could be on the way to repairing the Quinnie. She would be able to fulfil her mission. And perhaps when it was all over, she would think about her future. An image of Maaka’s teasing face popped into her mind. The jittering feeling in her belly settled.

  Once within her room, she turned and secured the latch.

  Maaka planted his hands on the door either side of her and leaned his body against hers. His breath tickled her neck as he nuzzled stray wisps of her hair.

  Her stomach flipped over. Her pulse spiked to new heights. And to her horror a tear tracked down her cheek.

  He spun her around.

  She kept her head down, her teeth biting her lower lip.

  He tilted his head and peered lower. ‘Why do you cry? Are you in pain?’

  Sherise pushed at his arms but he did not budge.

  ‘Do not do this to me again!’ she sniffled. ‘I wish to sleep and have no taste for your games.’

  He kissed away the tear. ‘I do not play games.’

  With tiny feather-light kisses he moved his lips over her cheeks, stroking his tongue over her lips, and whispered, so close against her mouth his breath could have been hers, ‘I would wish our first joining to be on the bed of the softest furs but I can wait no longer.’

  Oh, thank you, Cercis!

  Sherise flung her arms around his neck and Maaka chuckled.

  His mouth fused with hers.

  At first hard and demanding until her lips softened into submission beneath his, then he nibbled her mouth until it tingled. He dragged his lower lip over her jaw line, up to the lobe of her ear to swirl his tongue over the folds of her skin while he slid his hands between their bodies and plumped her breasts. She closed her eyes and shivered as delight prickled her body.

  She would taste him as he tasted her and planted open-mouth ki
sses against the corded muscles in his neck, biting down on the lobe of his ear. His groan of approval caused her to squirm. Her breasts were taut and swollen with desire and her skin as hot as flames.

  ‘This cloth displeases me. So thick and rough. Remind me to burn these clothes so you never wear them again.’ His touch moved to settle on her waist.

  She smiled over the disgruntlement in his voice and opened her eyes, feeling as powerful as a goddess. His face was all hard planes, sharp with need. His eyes glowed with a fire that she hoped would consume her.

  Sherise pushed his chest gently. ‘Sit down and I will remove these garments.’

  He backed away until the bunk was behind him, then sat, all the while keeping his hands on her hips as if reluctant to release his hold.

  One by one she peeled his fingers from her skin, placed his hands in his lap. When she took a step backwards, he braced as if about to spring to his feet, but she shook her head.

  ‘Wait.’ She held up a finger.

  He relaxed, settled back against the wall, legs spread open and Sherise took a long moment to admire the bulge behind his trousers. She licked her lips as a doubt lashed her confidence. Could she satisfy this warrior? Or would she fail, as she had failed that one miserable time on Gazood?

  No, Maaka is nothing like that brutal guard. He is the warrior of my choice and I will give him more pleasure than he has ever dreamed.

  Her boots would be the first to go. Sherise crouched down and released the straps, sliding the boots off her feet. Knowing Maaka watched her every move, she took her time, wriggled her toes and massaged the balls of her feet, before straightening.

  She kept her eyes fixed on him as she raised her hands and untied the cord holding her braid in place. A few languid shakes and her hair fell free in long waves to frame her face and flow over her breasts.

  He swallowed. The muscles on his neck and along his wide shoulders bunched.

  Her breath caught at the sight. Her small room suddenly hot and airless.

  She slipped her shaking hands up beneath her tunic and shimmied her pants down over her hips, then, ever so slowly, down her legs to puddle on the floor. One kick and they were swept out of the way.